Life at Corner House Farm

Monday 28th June 2010

2010-08-16T08:19:00.000-04:00

The camps I am running this summer are for a 4 hours in the morning for 5 days and on an individual basis. I dont have the horses or staff to do more than that and be able to give the campers the attention they deserve - and paid for.

This week the camper is a teenage girl who has been riding with me for almost a year. She has not had any theory or hands on work with horses, so I have a blank canvas to work with. I have based the camp on the day to day work at a horse farm interspersed with theory sessions and riding.

The first job of the day is mucking out the stalls, cleaning the water buckets and refilling them. After letting the horses into their stalls, the student learns how to mix the horses feed and then feed them. I explain what the feed is, why I am feeding it and amounts. While the horses are eating and the time for digestion before riding we sat in the tack room and I gave her a new folder. I have lots of handouts covering almost everything for my students that I have made up over the years for the various courses I run. We covered colours, markings, breeds, the parts of the horse and being able to describe each of my horses.

Next was riding time. I have planned for this student to ride or drive each of my horses this week. She hasnt driven before and I am also letting her ride my competition horse. Today she rode Prissy, my paint pony, who is only 13.2hh. She is quite advanced for a school pony. This student hasnt ridden this small of a pony in a long time and found the short strides hard to deal with, but found it interesting anyway. Tomorrow she will ride the horse she usually rides, Wally.

After washing down the pony after the lesson we spent time setting fair the barn and horses and did some fun things in the tack room ad then it was time for her to go home.

I had to dash into the house, have something to eat, get changed and then off to the orthodontist with my oldest son. He gets a check up every six months. We are waiting for all of his teeth to come in before putting braces on. Not needed yet.

Sunday 27th June 2010

2010-08-16T07:45:00.000-04:00

Up nice and early to get the horses in and fed. As my husband is away so my children had to come with me to the show. I had to wake them up, make sure they had something to eat and had things to occupy themselves with while we were at the show.

Once they were set I went back to the barn and got my students organised and then we all got together and loaded the cars and horses.

The show ground was closer than I remembered, so it didnt take as long as I thought to get there. Another of my students was travelling there herself with her own horse and was running late and managed to get lost one road away from the show ground! I had to give her directions over the phone to get her to the right place. It didnt seem to effect her too much as she won one class and came second in another. The students riding my horses also did well. The young girl riding my paint pony Prissy won her very first class and got a certificate for having the highest score for the level she was riding in. She was very pleased with that. My other student did well as well.

By the end of the show my kids were very bored and glad to be heading home. It seemed a very long day even though we got home just after lunch.

Tomorrow my first camp of the summer starts!

Saturday 26th June 2010

2010-08-16T07:18:00.000-04:00

A day full of ups and downs. My youngest son camp finished yesterday and my oldest sons camp finished today, so I sat around and waited for the phone call to pick him up from the drop off point. It was a long wait and then someone ended up dropping him off at home instead of me having to go and get him.

I had moved my Friday evening lesson to Saturday evening for two reasons. One was so I could go and visit my son at scout camp and the other so the student could get the pony ready, after her lesson, for the show the next day. So she had her lesson and then we spent time cleaning tack and washing the pony preparing for the show.

Two students will be riding two of my horses at a local club show riding dressage.

Friday 25th June 2010

2010-08-15T08:59:00.000-04:00

I dropped my son off at camp and as soon as I got back home had a lesson to teach. I spent the rest of the day getting things together for my other son, who we visited in the evening.

The Friday evening of scout camp is a family get together and court of honour. We usually take dinner with us. First though I had to attend the ending ceremony of the invention camp for my youngest son.

They had a power point presentation and then we were able to look at all their inventions before taking them home. Then it was time to feed the dogs and horses before picking up dinner and driving for an hour to the scout camp. We arrived later than I had planned, because of feeding all the animals, but ate together and watched the court of honour where my son got his First Class and became a quartermaster. We left finally after dark and drove back home.

Thursday 24th June 2010

2010-08-15T07:08:00.000-04:00

This was a very quite day with only me at home and no lessons. I used the time to sit and relax and catch up on things and read. You need time like this now and again just to recharge your body and mind.

Wednesday 23rd June 2010

2010-08-15T07:06:00.000-04:00

My husband left with a friend to drive down to North Carolina, I took my youngest son to camp, my oldest son is still camping with the scouts and the farrier came to do the horses nice and early! Busy time.

The only lesson today was in the evening. Again, the student had really missed the horses.

My sons invention camp has been fun for him. We had had to collect items that could be used to make things before camp and had dropped them off on the first day. The pile was huge. Each day it is getting smaller though, as the kids use items to make things. There will be quite a lot to pick on Friday!

Tuesday 22nd June 2010

2010-08-15T06:59:00.000-04:00

As usual I fed the horses early and then took my son to camp and from there I went to a teach at a students farm. As school is off for the summer her kids were with her. This will be the last time I teach her during the day, as I change all my lessons to early in the morning or late in the evening. This is an attempt to cope with the weather and flies.

I had another lesson in the evening. The student had really missed the horses and had almost come over while I was away just to see them.

The evening was spent helping my husband pack, as he leaves tomorrow morning for a wedding in North Carolina.

Monday 21st June 2010

2010-08-15T06:53:00.000-04:00

This will be a busy week as my youngest son has a daily invention camp to attend, my husband is leaving for a wedding and I have all my usual students to teach.

My sons camp starts at 9am, so any lessons have to been after that. Luckily it isnt too hot yet, so lessons arent too bad. I only had one lesson today, just after dropping my son off at camp. That gave me the chance to catch up on things at home, go shopping for food etc and relax as well.

Sunday 20th June 2010

2010-07-27T08:20:00.000-04:00

The morning was spent getting my son organised and off to the pick up point. This is the main camping trip of the year for scouts, where they go without parents, for a week. They take a group photo as well as, as everyone is in uniform. It takes a while to get all this organised, so it was lunch time before we said good bye. Some mothers, who's sons havent left home before had tears in their eyes.

The rest of the day was spent continuing to tidy up and then in the evening I taught my first lesson since being on holiday.

Saturday 19th June 2010

2010-07-24T11:13:00.003-04:00

Back to realty!

What with jet lag and the dogs I was awake quite early. After feeding them I went out to the barn and was very pleased with how it looked. A student, who I also class as a friend, had looked after my horses for me and had left everything ready for me this morning. It was great. There have been times when I have some back to a real mess.

I spent the day getting back to normal, doing washing, putting things away and sleeping. Not quite back into cooking yet.

My oldest son leaves tomorrow for scout camp and so he spent the day getting the final things he needed together. He had packed most of his things before we left for Cyprus, but there are always extras.

Friday 18th June 2010

2010-07-24T10:20:00.000-04:00

It is difficult to sleep when you dont have an actual alarm clock to wake you up in the morning, which is the case in hotel rooms nowadays. You can set the tv to switch on at a certain time, but I am always worried that I set it incorrectly and wont wake up in time.

I didnt have to worry because the sun comes up very early and sets late in the UK right now. At 10pm last night you could still see outside and the sun was up about 5am. I had set the alarm on my phone, which works overseas, for 7am and we were all awake before that. We watched a bit of British tv and then went down for breakfast. There was a good spread on and I tucked into eggs and bacon and sausage as well as croissants with butter and marmalade and a couple of cups of tea. What a lot you are saying. Well, the reason for stuffing myself with such delicious food was the length of time before the next meal. Our flight wasnt until noon and then there would be a delay before getting a meal on the plane. So there is method in my madness.

We decided to get the 9am bus back to the airport and were the only customers only it. The boys like to sit on the back seat, which is higher than the rest and bumper! Once at the airport we tried to go through security to be told we had to go back to a check in desk, even though we had boarding passes already. This worried me a bit, but discovered we had to check in so our luggage would be put on the plane. I will remember this for next time. Once through security we were in terminal 5 and had a good chance to look around the shops and spend the last of the holiday money. Thorntons toffee and fudge being very popular. I always buy books as well, because I like certain British authors. So our backpacks were jammed full by the time we got on the plane.

This flight was 7 hours long, took off on time and had the proper food. We watched some films, ate the food, slept and were very glad when we touched down. Of course it was hot and humid when we arrived back in Philadelphia and this didnt help when we had to wait 45 minutes to get through immigration. We all go through the American line, as I have a green card, but I think the visitors line went faster!

We dashed off to the toilets before getting our luggage and then through customs and finally out to find my husband. After a long hours drive home we were welcomed home by the dogs and I started to unpack. I have to do this to keep me awake. Even though we slept in a hotel overnight the time difference, 7 hours, really wears me out. Plus all the sweets and biscuits need to be put in the fridge.

It was a great holiday, very relaxing and refreshing. I enjoy being clean, smelling nice and wearing nice clothes and getting to see my parents. I only get to see them in person twice a year.

Thursday 17th June 2010

2010-07-23T16:54:00.000-04:00

I spent about two hours first thing in the morning packing all our stuff and trying to fit in all the goodies we had bought. I had brought all the Xmas and birthday presents I could with us, so that left enough space for the return trip.

After that it was relaxing in, on and around the pool until lunch time and then we all had showers and put our traveling clothes on.

My mother had been watching the incoming flight online to see if it was on time to discover it was going to be 1 1/2 hours late, so we decide not to go to the airport too early, as we would be left sitting around in the departure lounge with nothing to do.

We did eventually leave and went into the new departure area to confirm our flights and seats only for there to be a problem. We waited for what seemed hours, probably only 20 minutes or so, for them to realise they needed to see the boys american passports and my green card before confirming our US flight. We all needed a drink after that, so headed to the new diner/ snack bar. Then it was finally time to say good bye to my parents and went through the passport control and security. That is always a sad moment for all of us.

We sent our time walking around the new shopping area and bought some more sweets and then headed to our departure gate and waited for our flight, and waited and waited and waited for a while. The incoming plane from Heathrow is the same one we fly out on and has to be cleaned and restocked before we can get on.

Our flight was supposed to take off at 4.30pm Cyprus time and land at 7.30pm London time, although it is a 5 hour flight. It didnt of course and we ended up landing at about 8.30pm London time. As there is no connecting flight to Philadelphia overnight we had to book into a hotel, which meant getting to it from the airport. Last year we waited 45 minutes in a smokey tunnel for a bus to take us to our hotel, so were ready to get a taxi if needed. Luckily we only had to wait 10 minutes for a bus, which cost 4 pounds.

Once at the hotel we booked in on a computer and found bedding missing. There was enough for two and we needed three. I went to the front desk and got the bedding to discover no pillow, so had to go back again. We ate some snacks and sandwiches I had made before leaving Cyprus and then to bed.

Wednesday 16th June 2010

2010-07-23T16:13:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow we leave for our return journey to the US, so we spent the day really enjoying the pool and table tennis and just being away from home. The final washing was done and dried so things could be packed tomorrow and then we went out for dinner to my favourite fish and chips place, Cessac.

I wore some of the new clothes and shoes I bought while here, so felt good about they way I looked, and had a good, filling dinner of cod and chips. An student of mine who is english reminded me of drink called Shandy, a mixture of lager and sprite, so I ordered that to drink.

On our way home we past a sign for an art show my mother had seen advertised in the local paper, so we decided to go and see it - more educational stuff for the boys. Some art was good and some not!

I regretted wearing my new shoes by the end of the evening because with the heat and humidity by the shore and the food and drink, my feet had swollen a bit! I was glad to take them off when we got home.

Tuesday 15th June 2010

2010-07-23T11:54:00.000-04:00

When I take money with me on holiday I dont intend on bringing any of it back home. It is holiday money to be spent on hoilday, so today was the day to spend it all.

I went to my favourite clothes shop and got a couple of things as well as some sweets and biscuits and then it was off to the food shop to get the rest of the goodies. We left my dad at home as he had to wait for a workman, so my mother, the boys and I attacked the shops. There are certain foods I really miss and cant get in the US unless I pay a very high price and shipping as well, so I stock up on them when I am abroad. Luckily Cyprus has a lot of Brits there, so my favourite things are too.

The last shop we stopped at was a shoe shop. My mother wanted to see if a particular shoe she liked was available, so I browsed as well. Of course I found a flowery wedge platform shoe which was begging me to buy it - so I did! You can impulse buy when you are on holiday - I think anyway.

The rest of the day was spent around, in and on the pool.

Monday 14th June 2010

2010-07-23T10:36:00.000-04:00

My parents have their routine, which we try not to interrupt when we visit, so this morning off they went to do their food shopping and the boys and I stayed at home and relaxed around the pool.

In fact that is all we did today, relax and enjoy the surroundings. I read some more magazines, mostly horsey ones, which I dont have time to read at home. I bring them along and read them from cover to cover and then put them out for recycling. I cant throw something away until I have looked through it at least, in case there is something interesting in it. Anyway, I get through a lot while I am away.

The temperature was hot again, but bearable with the pool being handy.

Sunday 13th June 2010

2010-07-23T10:08:00.000-04:00

Sunday late morning is always visiting time around here. My parents are good friends with a family in the next village and once you are friends you become part of their extended family, so every time we visit Cyprus we have to visit our new extended family.

Maria and Anastasie welcomed us with big hugs and double cheek european kisses. They only see the boys once a year so marvel at their growth and ask lots of questions about school and the activities they do. We sat outside for about an hour talking and having lemonade and cypriot pastries , but by then the sun had moved to the patio and we made our excuses and headed back to my parents house and the pool. It was another very hot day.

In the evening we watched a movie outside. My parents house has an area called the karames which is under the balcony and has arches. It stays in the shade all day and is next to the pool, so you take about 6 steps from your chair and dive in. One part of the house wall under the karames is big enough to shine an overhead projector on to, so once a year we set up the chairs and the dvd player and projector and watch a film. My parents selection of movies doesnt have a lot suitable for children, so we ended up watching the film RV with Robin Williams which we had watched a couple of years ago. I was supposed to take some films with me but forgot to pack them. I will try harder next year. I had looked at the car boot sale for anything we could watch, but without luck. The only problem of sitting outside at night with a bright light shining is it attracts biting insects, so you spend most of the film swishing them away!

Saturday 12th June 2010

2010-07-23T09:43:00.000-04:00

The start to the day was slow and relaxing, swimming in the pool, reading, but it all came to an end when the temperature kept rising and ended up at about 100'. The pool water can only keep you cool for a certain length of time and even sitting in the shade was too hot. Well before lunchtime we were inside the house with all the windows and curtains shut with the ceiling fan going.

The guild we had visited on Thursday was having a car boot sale this afternoon and we said we would go along and see what was there. I have a collection of differently shaped teapots and these types of events are perfect for finding more. Even though it was very hot my mother, myself and my oldest son jumped in the steaming hot car and drove half an hour to the sale. We stayed for about 20 minutes having looked at the rubbish for sale, bought a blue teapot for 3 euros and then dashed back to the car. It was still somewhat cool from our journey into town, and drove home longing for the comfort of the house.

That was all the activity we managed today due to the heat.

Friday 11th June 2010

2010-07-23T09:15:00.000-04:00

Finally a day of rest.

Most of the day was spent in, on and around the pool. It was sunny with clouds passing by but started to get quite warm, in the low 90's. I finished another book and a couple of magazine and managed a few games of table tennis with various members of the family as well.

So, it was a very pleasant relaxing day.

Thursday 10th June 2010

2010-07-23T09:01:00.000-04:00

After a long days sight seeing yesterday you would think I would have rested by the pool today. You would be wrong.

My mother and I got up fairly early, put on some nice 'frocks', picked up a friend of my mothers and went into Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, to a Womans Guild meeting. After saying hello to the people I meet here every year and being told I look like my mother, we sat down to listen to the speaker. She was a Canadian who volunteers for a medical charity and had been helping in Haiti after the earthquake at the beginning of the year. It was a very interesting and enlightening talk along with photos showing all the devastation. After the talk they hold a raffle and I managed to win a prize and chose a bottle of Spanish wine rather than the soaps or knitted something or other!

When we drove home it was cloudy and we noticed the cars coming towards us had there headlights on. That usually means heavy rain, but this is June in Cyprus - it doesnt rain. We actually had to drive through some and when we dropped off my mothers friend at her house she grabbed a plastic bag to put over her hair to keep it dry as she ran into her house!

When we got back home it was still raining and were told they had seen lightening and heard thunder. I dont go to Cyprus for that kind of weather. In fact it rained for most of the day and because of the threat of lightening all the tv's and computers were turned off. We were back to the days of entertaining oneself, which proved quite difficult. We did try to play table tennis, but the ball kept getting wet when it was missed and rolled out into the rain - surprisingly!

In the evening, when it had stopped raining, we went to a small tavern for dinner. It is quite difficult to feed my kids unless you are at a fast food place, so this wasnt an easy meal time. Luckily they love the local cheese called hulomi (spell check doesnt like that word), so that is always a stand by. It was a pleasant evening and meal and the rest of the evening was spent catching up on the world in front of the tv.

Wednesday 9th June 2010

2010-07-04T11:32:00.000-04:00

We had a busy day today. Because the boys had left school before the end of term, my Dad decided they should go on some educational trips. Today was that day and we filled it from early to a very late lunch with ancient sites.

We packed some snacks and drinks for the journey and set off about 8.30am to see the first site. This wasnt very far from my parents home and was from around 9000 BC. The houses were round, made of stone and perched on the side of a hill. There was quite a climb to the top, but the view was great once we got there. There wasnt much shade, just small trees to stop under every now and again. There was a school trip visiting at the same time as us, so we jumped ahead to get out of their way.

Back in the car and off to the next site, after having a snack and drink, and further down the road was a 7000 BC site. This was covered with a huge tent which gave great relief from the sun. These house were round as well. In both of these sites they had found bodies buried under the floors of the houses, which seems a bit odd to me, but each to his own!

Another snack and we were off to the other end of the island close to Paphos, to see the birth place of Aphrodite. There is a huge rock coming out of the sea where she supposedly rose up. The beach was made of pebbles and all I could smell was suntan lotion. Close to that site was Apollo's sanctuary. This was on the top of a hill and had wonderful sea breeze to help cool us. We were tiring at bit at this stage both from hunger and heat, so the last port of call was the Krium (not quite sure of that spelling either). This is a roman amphitheater with ruins of roman villas with mosaic floors, which are thankfully under cover, around the sides. We had been here before, so after a quick look around at the new finds, we headed to the nearest McDonalds and quenched out thirst and hunger.

We drove home after that to find rain clouds and watched rain falling nearby, but it didnt make it as far as my parents house. In the evening my mother picked up a broom to sweep the steps to find a huge tarantula type spider. I heard "oh my god" several times before finding out what happened and then my Dad was called upon to get rid of it.

What a day!

Tuesday 8th June 2010

2010-07-03T12:07:00.004-04:00

During the year I save any odd job money to take to Cyprus with me to go shopping.

There is a British shop called Marks and Spencers that used to be the place older woman would go for their clothes and had a great reputation for the best underwear and good food too. M & S has some stores in Cyprus where more modern up to date clothes are now on sale along with underwear and sweets and snacks are available too.

This was where I spent Tuesday morning with my Mum. It is great to wonder around a shop and not have to worry about the price of things, although the exchange rate isnt the best. I got a few items of clothing and then hit the sweets (candy) aisle. They have some great sweets and I ended up buying 4 packs of each and then some custard cream biscuits. We headed for home, but dropped in at another M & S closer to home and found a couple more items of clothing to buy as well. It was a good day!

By the time we got home it had become cloudy but still warm. Most unusual for our trips to Cyprus. It has only rained once in our nine yearly visits. The temperature was still in the 80's though and after lunch and siesta swimming was the things to do. I finished reading my first book today.

While we were out in the morning my Dad had taken the boys to visit a friend of his. This friend had offered to lend my older son a guitar to play while here. It turns out to be quite an expensive one, an electric acoustic guitar with a sound box. It can be heard without an amplifier, which meant they didnt have to lug that home. He played most of the afternoon and practised the beatles songs he likes.

Monday 7th June 2010

2010-07-03T09:58:00.000-04:00

Plans had been made for today, but as the saying goes, "best laid plans ......." dont allows work.

My parents have a routine of going to the nearest city Larnaca to get thier food shopping, pick up the British weekend papers and for my Mum to get her hair done. So we decided the boys and I would go to a beach we know and then my parents would meet up with us there for a fish and chips lunch and we would all head home together.

This beach is in the middle of Sovereign British land in Cyprus and the surrounding land has high wire with barbed wire on the top. Soldiers come into the shop and cafe and the fish and chip shop too, although that is run by Cypriots, not Brits. We call the place Cessac, the name of the shop that sells lots of british things I like.

My parents left at 8.15am and the boys and I left about an hour later with swimming gear and beach stuff. Cyprus drives on the same side as Britain, so I had to get used to sitting on the opposite side of the car and driving on the other side of the road to the US. They also use kilometers for driving speed, but my parents car has the main speed dial in miles, so I had to be careful that I didnt speed and get caught.

We successfully made it to the beach, put our things out and then went shopping. It was a little windy to start with, but we enjoyed the waves being whipped up by it and played in the water and the sand for about an hour. But by then the wind had picked even more, the waves were getting bigger and the palm trees leaves were blowing almost horizontally towards the land! We lasted another half an hour and then got changed and sat in the car for another hour waiting for my parents to arrived. Luckily we had things to read and listened to the radio as well.

Lunch was good, but very large and then we all drove home for a siesta before getting in the pool in the afternoon. The evening was relaxing, but still windy.

Sunday 6th June 2010

2010-07-03T09:36:00.000-04:00

I had an early wake up call again today, but it delayed by about 15 minutes, because the neighbours dog didnt bark today.

My parents get British television from a satellite disc in their orchard and usually turn it off overnight, but while I visit they leave it on so I can watch TV if I wake up during the night or early in the morning. There is a difference in time, as Britain is 2 hours behind Cyprus. I usually watch Aljezzerha (spell check doesnt know this word) as their take on world events is different from everyone elses and can be interesting.

The start of the day was the same as yesterday and the planned day ahead was the same apart from my father going off to an organised lunch. Swimming was the most activity done today. I feel as though I am getting over the jet lag now thankfully.

Saturday 5th June 2010

2010-07-03T09:25:00.000-04:00

I was woken early, 5.30am Cyprus time, by a neighbours dog barking along with a local cockerel and the morning song from all the birds in the world it seemed! I had managed to stay up quite late, for me anyway, so this early morning call wasnt welcome. I also had the rising sun shining through the curtains to add to all of this. Later on in the holiday I wouldnt have minded so much, but I was still tired from the time change and the lack of sleep on Thursday night. Anyway I shouldnt complain, I was in the Mediterranean away from all the troubles and work of home!

I lay around for a short while and then went upstairs to the kitchen, checked in on my kids, and sat with my mother, who always gets up early. I was feeling a little hungry, so had breakfast, one of my favourites Weetabix. (Too hard to explain it to non Brits.)

The boys were up quite early too, but their only concern was how early they could get in the pool - 8.30am it seems. The day was spent sitting around the pool, in the pool, on the pool and in the shade beside the pool. I had brought three books and about 15 magazines to read while on holiday, so started on them today.

After lunch the rule is siesta time from about 1pm until 3pm. After eating fresh fruit and bread for lunch I had trouble staying awake long enough to get to my bed! The late afternoon and evening were spent around the pool again. This was the plan for most of the stay. It was early to bed tonight, but a little later than yesterday.

Friday 4th June 2010

2010-06-21T17:09:00.000-04:00

We went through security at terminal 5 and then sat around for about 2 hours until our other flight was ready for boarding. This flight was 4 hours and 35 minutes long.

We are used to getting a full cooked breakfast on this flight and really looked forward to it, so hadnt eaten anything at the airport in anticipation. We were sorely disappointed. We were given a tuna mayo long roll!!! Now I try to eat as much of the food they give you as possible, even if I dont like it very much, but this was impossible to eat. I was very disappointed and will be contacting BA regarding this.

Cyprus is a further 2 hours ahead of England, so we arrived at about 3.30pm Cyprus time, 8.30am US time, and were very tired. Sleep doesnt come easily on a plane, unless you are my oldest son who can curl up on a single seat and sleep!

We flew into Larnaca's new airport. The old airport didnt have the walkways that come out to the planes doors, so we had to go down some steps to a bus which took us to the arrivals area. The new one is full of mod cons and air conditioning. We were all excited which caused my youngest son to leave his hat on the plane. We realised this as we were waiting for our luggage. It took me a while to find someone to go back to the plane and retrieve the hat. Meanwhile my parents were waiting for us and getting worried as all the other passengers had come out but us. My mother phoned me and I explained the situation. After that we were glad to see all our luggage had come with us and we loaded into the car and drove to my parents house.

Once there I spent time unpacking, a way to keep myself awake, gave the boys their swim trunks and went swimming myself. It was so refreshing and woke me up enough to eat dinner. I didnt last much past that though.

Thursday 3rd June

2010-06-21T15:15:00.000-04:00

I woke early as I had a lot to do today and my farrier was supposed to be coming at 8am to fix some shoeing problems before my annual trip.

Once a year I visit my parents who live on the Mediterrean island of Cyprus and get a break from all the hussle and bussle of everyday life.

I fed the dogs and cat and went out to the barn to feed the horses at 7.30am to find the farrier already there. He had to redo the front shoes on Blackie, who we think has an abcess on his right front foot and redo the front shoes on Boxer as they were about to fall off. That done I fed them and sorted out the barn so I wouldnt have go back up there before leaving for my flight. That meant throwing down hay, mucking out and filling water buckets.

By the time I got back into the house the boys were up and had been given breakfast by my husband. He had taken the day off to help us get ready for our trip. The next thing to do was pack. I always leave that until the last day so I dont forget what I have packed on previous days. I managed to finished with plenty of time to shower, eat lunch and relax before leaving for the airport.

The journey there was uneventful and we got into the airport in plenty of time. I had already printed out the boarding passes, so all we had to do was drop off our luggage. That done we said good bye to my husband and went through security. We had about an hour before our flight was due to board, so we bought a few drinks and snacks and settled down to wait.

While waiting I spotted a lady who looked familiar to me. I didnt know why, but kept looking at her and trying to work out why I should know her. The conclusion was she had to have something to do with horses, as I know more people that way than any other. She left at some stage before we board our plane, so I tried to forget about it. Suddenly I had a brain wave and remembered everything about her apart from her name! I could even remember her horse. We boarded our plane, we get on early because of traveling with children, and there she was a few rows in front of me. I had to go up to her and introduce myself and explain I had known her some years ago. I think she remembered me, but I cant be sure. At least I know her name now.

Our flight was uneventful even though the BA cabin staff were on strike. We were still fed fairly decent food, but waking us up for breakfast at midnight was not pleasant. The flight was 7 hours long to London Heathrow and there it was 5 hours ahead of Philly, so it was only one in the morning when we landed, according to our body clocks.

Wednesday 2nd June 2010

2010-06-21T14:48:00.000-04:00

My morning lesson was nice and early to get out of the heat, with an adult student. We worked with her young inexperienced horse getting control of all the paces.

I did actually get some clothes out for packing today, we leave tomorrow! This was also my childrens last day of school, even though school doesnt finish until the 14th June, and that is because of days added on because of snow in the winter. This is really the only good time to go on vacation because of the heat where we are going and camps when we get back. I do make sure we do something educational while we are away though.

I had one last lesson today, which again was a trail ride, and wont be riding again until I come back from vacation. I dashed out to the shops in the evening to get a few final things before my holiday starting tomorrow.

Tuesday 1st June 2010

2010-06-21T14:40:00.000-04:00

This is was another busy day with lessons before going away, so everyone got to do what they wanted. The morning lesson, with an adult was spent working on the riders hands and how they effect the horse. The two afternoon lessons were trail rides, which meant that 4 of my 5 horses got ridden - and I only had to ride 2 of them. I like days like that. I usually let the student decide where they want to go and how fast, but the temperature was quite hot and the trails are only one horse wide in the hay field, so walking was all we could do. We did end up in the arena and try to ride side by side, as I have mentioned before. That is always fun.

Monday 31st May 2010

2010-06-14T10:47:00.000-04:00

It was Memorial day today, so the kids were off school. I did have two lessons in the morning and as this was their last lesson until I come back from vacation they had the choice of what they wanted to do. Both wanted to trail ride.

I had been able to mow a trail around the hay fields, so we walked around those enjoying the wildlife and scenery. The second student hadnt been on a trail ride before, so we stayed within the pasture fields, which are fenced in, and then ended up in the arena. We practised riding side by side. That may seem easy to do, but horses have different length of strides and the inside rider has to slow down around corners and the outside rider has to speed up. It is all good practise for rider skills - and fun too.

I decided that I should get the cases out in readiness for packing, as we leave on Thursday to visit my parents in Cyprus. I always leave the packing until the last moment. That way I know what I have packed and what I havent.

Sunday 30th May 2010

2010-06-14T10:39:00.000-04:00

Show day.

I was up fairly early to get the horses in and fed before getting ready to leave for the show. I was ready to go but my student and parents were late. I had already loaded the pony when they arrived. We were going to a show ground I hadnt been to before, so wasnt sure of how long it would take to get there and what the facility was like.

We got there, but by taking the longest route there it seems. One of my other students was also competing at the same show and we got there just in time to see her first test (dressage). My fairly new video camera, bought 4 days before last Christmas, hasnt been working properly and in the middle of this test it stopped again. I hoped it would work properly for the other rides, but when I gave it to one of the parents to video it didnt. He managed to get it to work enough to video his daughters tests, but it is very frustrating. We will have to send it back once I get back from vacation.

Anyway, both of my students did very well. The student riding my pony had to deal with it neighing and being distracted. I was really proud of the way she coped and even the judge commented of how well she did.

We were back home by noon in plenty of time to video my parents. We talk by video phone on the computer three times a week. Occasionally we have to change times because of not being here and this was one of them.

Later on in the afternoon we joined our oldest son at the camp site, where he was staying with a friend and his family, for dinner. The boys went swimming in the pool and the parents sat and talked about life! After dinner I dashed home to feed the horses, dogs and cat, because it was too early to feed them when we left, and then dashed back to the party. We stayed until about 10pm and had a good time.

Saturday 29th May 2010

2010-06-14T02:03:00.000-04:00

With nothing arranged until the early evening I borrowed my husbands pick up and went off to get a pallet of the pelleted bedding I use. They put it on the bed of the truck using a small fork lift truck, but I then have to get it off using my own hands! That bit I dont like. I did manged to get my youngest son and husband to help though, as there are 50 40lbs bags to move on each pallet.

My evening lesson was preparation for the show tomorrow. The student rode the tests and then we spent time giving the pony a bath and brushing out her mane and tail, cleaning tack and getting the truck and trailer ready for the show in the morning. My husband was in charge of dinner, as I was out in the barn a lot later than usual.

Friday 28th May 2010

2010-06-14T01:54:00.000-04:00

Monday is Memorial Day and my kids have the day off, they also had a half day today, which meant I had to get anything I wanted done completed before noon.

First thing in the morning I dashed off to the local bedding provider and bought 20 bags of pelleted bedding I use . I like to have plenty available for while I am away. I discovered the bedding was on sale, so I may go back tomorrow with my husbands pick up and get a pallet load, which will drop the price again. I think I have worked out that they put them on sale on national holidays. I shall have to keep an eye on that.

After the kids got home from school an airsoft war had been arranged for the afternoon. My older son had invited four of his friends over for a couple of hours to gang up on each other using our property to hide and battle. He had also been invited to go camping with one of these friends for the long weekend. He had to pack his things before the battle started though, because he was going to be picked up at the same time as his friends were leaving. Thankfully when my children have friends over now they mostly stay outside. Ours is only a small house and the boys are getting bigger.

In the evening we went to a 1st birthday party of a students nephew. We have known the couple since before the birth, so we are invited along to celebrate such things. The food is always good and the company too.

Thursday 27th May 2010

2010-06-14T01:38:00.000-04:00

I only had one thing arranged for today and that was a lesson at 9am. This student will be looking after my horses while I am away, so I arranged for her to come over and go through the feeding plan and where everything is kept.

After that I went off to the tack shop where I buy my feed and stocked up with enough to last while I am away and get anything else I needed. I have started to update the feeding plan and the list of extra instructions I give to whom ever looks after my horses.

In the afternoon I got my hair cut to its summer length - short. I find that the less hair I have the cooler I can keep while having a hat on or when working in the barn. I had planned to have it cut next week, just before my holiday, but sitting at the sports day made me change my mind and I managed to get an appointment today.

Wednesday 26th May 2010

2010-06-14T01:23:00.000-04:00

Up early to teach a student at her farm and then back in time for the horse dentist to come and look after my horses teeth.

My student has a newish horse which she is slightly scared of. She spent last summer working with a western trainer who broke the horse in and schooled it as well as having another rider exercise it twice a week. The horse was getting a little annoyed with all of this and was bucking when asked to canter. She sent it away for the winter to a trainer to get all the kinks out and now is back to riding it at home. I have to make sure the rider makes the horse only do what she asks of it and not let it do its own thing. She has to make the horse realise she is the boss and not it! I think this may have been part of the problem last year.

The horse dentist came on time. He check all my horses teeth and rasped the ones who needed any sharp edges removed. It was quite a hot day and even standing still we were "glowing" even thouvh we were inside the barn.

I taught my usual after school lesson and then in the evening I took my oldest son to his guitar lesson. I stayed to have a chat with the instructors wife and my other son played with their youngest son.

Tuesday 25th May 2010

2010-06-14T00:54:00.000-04:00

The middle part of my day today was running from one thing to another. I started with a lesson and then had to go to my younger sons sports days, which took from 2 hours. The sun was shining the whole time which meant I now have tanned feet, but in the shape of a cross - the pattern of the straps on my shoes!

By the time I got home from that it was time for my working student to arrive. She is having to cycle to my house now, as her Dad has a new job, so arrived with a red face from the exercise. I told her to stand in the tack room in front of the fan and clean tack until she had cooled down.

My after school students lesson was practising for the show coming up this weekend. We werent sure if the arena would be big or small, so practised in both. I am pleased with the way she is riding and was easily able to transfer the shapes to be ridden from the big arena to small. I know some adults who would have trouble doing the same thing.

Monday 24th May 2010

2010-06-14T00:38:00.000-04:00

I am starting to move my lessons to earlier in the morning and later in the evening, as the temperature is beginning to rise. My morning lesson started at 9.30 this morning, but this afternoons had to stay at the normal time because of my older sons chorus concert in the evening.

Apart from that small change everything else was the same for a Monday. This was my last day working at school though. Next week is a holiday and after that I go on vacation and school will be finished by the time I get back. It has been interesting working with the children through out the year and seeing who has progressed, and the dynamics of the classroom.

Because of my sons concert he wasnt able to go to the usual scout meeting, but we still had to stop by and pick up Wawa coupons which we have to sell as a fund raiser.

Sunday 23rd May 2010

2010-06-09T12:31:00.000-04:00

I had another busy day ahead. The first thing was a British Riding Club clinic I was putting on with a local pilates instructor who also works with horse riders. This instructor used to be a riding student of mine and used me and my other students as guinea pigs when she did her training, so I use some of the things she teaches in my lessons. The clinc ran from 10 until 11.30. After that I dashed home to get ready for the cubs coming at 4pm.

My working student came over to help with presentation because about 52 people were expected to come. I think just about that many did. As there were too many people to go into the barn all at once they were divided into two groups. I took each group through the tack room and explained about the tack and feed and then took them through the horse area. Then they gathered outside the barn and I brought each horse and pony out one at a time to describe and explain about them. After questions we headed up to the arena just as the rain came down. It was a warm day so we carried on and our clothes were dry by the end of the visit.

My oldest son drove the pony Blackie in his little cart around the arena and in and out of cones in the middle. I then rode Wally in his western tack and showed the children some of his fancy movements and then changed over to Handsome in his english tack and walk, trotted, cantered and jumped him. I havent ridden him recently so he was a little frisky. I couldnt do all that I wanted to do because I was worried about getting bucked off!! Wouldnt look good if that had happened now would it.

Once back at the barn we untacked the horses and brought Wally back out so the children could pat him. They had to line up one behind the other and let him smell their hand before touching him. After that they handed out popicles which were tasty.

My husband left with our other son for his cub meeting during all of this. They were visiting the local sewage works as a field trip. One of the fathers works there. I was quite glad I couldnt make it!! Another long day over.

Saturday 22nd May 2010

2010-06-09T12:01:00.000-04:00

My husband had to work today, so the boys and I did our own thing. I did have a lesson first thing and then spent the rest of the day cleaning up the barn to make it presentable for the cub visit tomorrow afternoon. This took some time as it is full of old parts of cars and things. It looked ok by the time we had finished working.

Friday 21st May 2010

2010-06-09T11:50:00.000-04:00

Friday was a calmer day with the usual lessons and my working student being here. I gave her her first lesson with me. She rode Wally, who I use for beginner adults/ teenagers, as he is very calm. She did well, but has a lot to learn as I teach a kind of riding where you have to be aware of what your body is doing and what effect it has on the horse rather than just sitting there or kicking the horse to make it go. They are thinking mammals just like us.

Thursday 20th May 2010

2010-06-09T11:44:00.001-04:00

Thankfully I was ok in this morning and was able to do everything. I had to make a packed lunch for my youngest son as he was going on a field trip to Valley Forge Park, about 45 minutes away.

My morning lesson was postponed from Tuesday and was with an English student who had got married last weekend and wanted me to meet her parents, who were over in the US for her wedding. It was interesting to meet them and talk about British things. I did manage to teach the lesson as well.

After that I had to go to the dentist to finally get my crown put in. This time it fit nicely and the appointment only lasted half an hour. I was feeling a little sore because the dentist didnt numb my gums at all, but at least I as able to speak when I taught my after school lesson.

With this student, a 12 year old, I decided to let her ride around the pasture fields, which are fenced in, and trot up any hill. She rode around one time and really enjoyed it and when I offered her a choice to ride around again or do some cantering in the arena, she chose riding the fields again. Unfortunately the pony didnt want to do this and made a run for the barn. The student made an emergency dismount at the arena and the pony ran back to the barn. I had my tractor at the arena, so she climbed on and we headed back to the barn to collect the pony. The student got back on and rode to the arena where we worked on control. She will be coming back on Saturday for her next lesson, so we will work on that again.

I had to run quickly at the end of the lesson to pick my oldest son from school, where he had an extra practise for his upcoming chorus concert.

Wednesday 19th May 2010

2010-06-09T11:35:00.000-04:00

What a day today was! I woke up early to find that my head was spinning wildly with vertigo. I couldnt move and could only lay on my stomach with my head absolutely still to stop it. Of course that was very difficult to do. Luckily my husband was home for the morning, so he got the kids off to school and fed the horses for me. I had to call my morning lesson, who was already on her way here, to let her know I couldnt teach her and cancelled her sons lesson in the afternoon. She decided to come anyway and rode the horse she usually rides by herself. I had to cancell my after school student too.

By midday I had fallen asleep and when I woke up I could move my head a bit without it spinning. In fact I was able to sit up normally, but if I leant forward it would get bad again, so the opposite of before. By the late afternoon I was able to get out of bed, feed the kids dinner and have them help me feed the horses.

In the evening my oldest son had his first guitar lesson with a new instructor, a den leader from our cub pack. They had played guitar together on the last cub camping trip and decide to get together on a regular basis. I managed to drive us over to the lesson and stayed and chatted with the instructors wife, whom I know well from our years in cubs and scouts.

I was very glad to get to bed and hope that I would feel ok in the morning.

Tuesday 18th May 2010

2010-06-09T01:56:00.000-04:00

My morning lesson was on her honeymoon and had wanted me to ride her horse for her, but changed her mind and wanted her parents to watch her have a lesson, so we arranged to have the lesson on Thursday morning instead.

My late afternoon/ evening was busy with my working student and a lesson coming at the same time. I set the working student to work and taught my lesson in the arena. Immediately after that I fed the horses, got changed and dashed off to Friendlys diner for a scout fund raising function. The scouts stand at the door welcoming people in and the troop gets 10% of the evenings takings. We usually stay and eat there ourselves. I do like the food there.

Monday 17th May 2010

2010-06-09T01:41:00.001-04:00

My morning lesson postponed, so I used the time to get the place ready for the cubs visit next Sunday. The tack room needed the carpets cleaned. I have sample size pieces of carpet sitting next to each other covering the floor, which means I can just pick up the dirty piece, clean it and then put it back.

I worked at school in the afternoon and then had my usual after school lesson. It was scout committee meeting evening, but my husband was out so I wasnt able to go. I dropped my oldest son off for his meeting and had to pick him up later on. Mondays seem to never ending.

Sunday 16th May 2010

2010-06-09T01:33:00.000-04:00

Great - another day off which gave me time to rest and recuperate from this cold. I dont think I have had one since Christmas time, so it is a shock to my system. My nose was certainly feeling a little better and I wasnt feeling as drowsy.

The only planned thing for today was going along to the Tiger den's cub meeting in the evening to explain about their visit next Sunday. Part of a requirements for a belt loop or pin is to visit local places and they asked me if they could visit the horse farm. I felt I needed to explain about horses and how they can be frightened easily, what to wear and the need for fly spray! My oldest son is the den chief for the tiger den, so the children will know him when they get to the farm next weekend.

My other son's meeting was held outside the same building and was a demonstration from a local rescue group that uses dogs to find missing people. They chose a few cubs to hide and showed their dogs ability to track and find them. My son was one that got to hide. It was interesting to see how they worked.

Saturday 15th May 2010

2010-06-09T01:18:00.000-04:00

Luckily I only had two half hour lesson first thing in the morning and then I was able to rest for the whole day. I really felt awful today. My nose was stuffed up and runny at the same time, which is difficult to deal with, not knowing what to try and sort out first. I did find though that if I did something like feed and muck out the horses in the evening I felt a little better. I think the activity took my mind off feeling ill.

Friday 14th May 2010

2010-06-08T12:30:00.001-04:00

I hadnt been feeling the greatest after mowing my pasture fields and had thought it was because of the fumes from the tractor and all the dust and pollen flying around, but today it felt like a cold. I had two lessons today, my working student was coming over and my kids had a half day from school. So, I had a full day while feeling horrible.

I managed to get through it all with the help of advil and a lot of tissues and drinking a lot, but I was glad to get to bed in the evening. The reason for the half day was so the high school kids could get ready for their senior prom. I dont think that would happen any where else in the world.

Thursday 13th May 2010

2010-06-08T12:20:00.000-04:00

Two lessons today. One with a student who is getting married at the weekend. She asked me to be kind and not stress her or cause any muscle pain because of her upcoming honeymoon! I was nice - I can be nice although some people doubt that about me.

My afternoon lesson was the second lesson with a 6 year old boy, who last week was very shy and would hardily talk to me. This week he almost ignored me and sat slouched on the pony's back. His mother was watching and explained that she would have to explain to him that I am a teacher just like the ones at school and he should listen to me all of the time. Cant wait to see how the next lesson goes.

In the evening I ran a video night for my riding club as part of the British Riding Clubs. The subject was how to ride the different levels of dressage tests. As usual not many people turned up. There was me, the person who has the dvds and three others. We all found it very interesting and yet again wondered why more people didnt come to something educational and FREE.

Wednesday 12th May 2010

2010-06-08T12:06:00.000-04:00

The farrier came this morning and had to do something to all of my horses and ponies. Luckily none needed a full set of new shoes and some will need some work in a couple of weeks, but all went well.

I had my usual Wednesday after school lesson, which went well. The 10 year old boy is getting better at steering the 15.2hh horse he is riding around the arena in walk and trot, although his mother sits and fears he wont make it around the corners.

In the evening we went to my youngest sons band concert. He plays the trumpet, although he doesnt practise very much at home, but seems to be able to play the tunes for the concert. This concert was a lot better than the Fall one, where some children had only been playing their instruments for a short while!

Tuesday 11th May 2010

2010-06-06T04:07:00.000-04:00

My morning lesson postponed until Thursday morning, so I used the free time to start mowing the pasture fields so the horses dont have to eat through high weeds and grass. They dont like to get seeds in their eyes, so will only eat where the grass and weeds are short. Mowing also encourages the grass to grow, just like your lawn. It always grows after you have mowed it!

My after school student is still working on cantering on the lunge. She can get the pony to canter on her own, but hasnt let go of the bucking strap yet and still bounces around a bit. We will be working on that for a while and then we have to keep practising for the upcoming show.

Monday 10th May 2010

2010-06-06T03:58:00.000-04:00

This was the usual Monday with a lesson in the morning, working at the school in the afternoon, lesson after school and the scouts in the evening. It always seems a busy, long day running from one thing to another and not stopping until picking my son up from scouts at 8.30pm. I cant remember much about today, so this is going to be short and sweet!

Sunday 9th May 2010

2010-06-06T03:47:00.000-04:00

It was Mothers day here in the US today and we decided to clear out one of the rooms the boys use to collect all their toys in. It was frustrating, not a good idea for mother day, but it had to be done. My youngest son had lost his DSi months ago and we thought it was somewhere hidden in the house. We found all sorts of things, but not the DSi. We will need to have a yard sale soon, as lots of things we found arent played with any more. Hopefully in July we will sell a load of things and free up space in the house.

I did have a lesson to teach today, later on in the afternoon, and then I had my Mothers Day dinner made for me by my husband. It was twice baked potatoes with steak, which I love.

Saturday 8th May 2010

2010-05-31T13:25:00.000-04:00

My oldest son was supposed to go on an overnight hike with the boy scouts, but the weather got in the way and it was cancelled. He will be home all weekend.

I managed to get my morning lesson in before any of the high winds put in an appearance. My student was a young girl who comes once a month. She was really scared of trotting, so the last time she came we had tried to trot in the round pen. She managed on her own. So this lesson we started off in the big arena working on walk, turning and stopping and then moved to the round pen. She did so well trotting around several times in each directions in the round pen, we moved back to the big arena and she managed to trot along the long sides. She was so pleased with herself and so was I. She did have to sing out loud to make her breathe though!

During the afternoon the wind really picked up with gusts up to 50 miles and hour and sustained around 30. It was so strong I wondered about the barn roof coming off!

Friday 7th May 2010

2010-05-31T13:03:00.000-04:00

I was supposed to do another British Riding Club riding test today, but injures and other problems meant it had to be cancelled - hopefully to be rearranged later in the summer. Instead a friend came over, who was going to ride in the exam, and showed me some advanced long lining things to do with one of my horses.

Long lining is when you have a lunge line attached to both sides of the bridle on the horses head and work the two lines at the same time. This means you can turn the horse around in different directions without stopping and having to change the lunge line. You can use a surcingle around the horses middle and thread the lines through the rings on the surcingle to affect the horse in different ways. All fun and hard work!! I learnt a lot and and had fun too.

My working student came again and worked on the usual barn chores, while I taught my lesson.

Thursday 6th May 2010

2010-05-31T08:34:00.000-04:00

I had the whole school day to myself today, no lessons, but I still did horse stuff. I went to the local hardware shop and bought weed killer for the arena. I have had problems with weeds and grass growing in it right from the start, everyone does even if they paid three times more than I did to have it built.

I want to see the weeds curling up right away, so I can see where I have poisoned, and just the thought of killing them off. But to really kill them it takes a while for the poison to do its job. This is an on going problem every year. I have tried a flame thrower before, but you get too hot too quickly. (And I have set fire to my cross country jumps in the past!)

After school I took my youngest son to the orthodontist to check on the state of his teeth - he has to go back in three months.

In the evening I went to the board meeting of the riding club were I am the membership secretary. I reported on the membership numbers, on the British Riding club news and a new competition we might take part in. This is a online dressage competition where you compete against people from all over the world. You video your riding tests, upload them to the website and get judges. There will a British Riding Club league and hopefully we will take part in it.

Wednesday 5th May 2010

2010-05-31T07:40:00.000-04:00

The farrier had to visit today as one horse had pulled a shoe off and another's front shoes were about to fall off. He came at lunch time and after he had left a new student arrived. This student is the son of one of my adult students. She is hoping her son will be able, eventually, to go on riding holidays with the rest of the family. He was very quiet, shy while riding Blackie. He has visited over the years since his mother has been riding with me. It went well.

My after school lesson is still working out riding a horse, but is determined to master riding Wally.

Tuesday 4th May 2010

2010-05-31T07:15:00.000-04:00

Today was completely different from yesterday, all go.

I mucked out and fed the horses and dashed off to teach a student on her own horse, which went well. After that I went home fed the dogs their lunch time snack, changed in normal clothes and went off to the dentist.

It was time to get my permanent crown put on. The dentist numbed my gums/ cheek/ ear/ whole right side of my face, tried the new crown on. After an hour of playing around with it and my remaining tooth he decided it wasnt fitting properly and put the temporary one back home and sent me home. I was feeling bruised and tired after that and wished the rest of the day was quiet, but it wasnt.

My usual after school lesson came and my working student arrived as well. She set to work mucking out the horses while I taught my lesson.

Dinner was a quick easy meal as my youngest son had his chorus concert in the evening. They sang about 4 songs, one of which went on for ages and ages and wasnt that good either! My fairly new video camera, bought 4 days before Christmas 2009, started misbehaving and doing things on its own or not working at all. I took the battery on and off a few times before it worked again and kept it on without zooming in or out until the end of the concert. I am really annoyed as the camera is so new and the last one I had lasted 9 years. hopefully this is a one off problem.

Monday 3rd May 2010

2010-05-31T07:01:00.000-04:00

This was a normal Monday, adult lesson in the morning, work at school in the afternoon, child lesson after school and scouts in the evening. So nothing unusual happened and life continue in its usual way. Boring - sorry!

Sunday 2nd May 2010

2010-05-31T06:46:00.000-04:00

I had a relaxing early morning with the dogs and horses. My family returned home mid morning, tired and dirty. I had hoped for a longer break, but it was not to be.

I had forgotten to mention that yesterday afternoon a local girl visited hoping to become a working student with me. I showed her the barn and the horses and explained the process of looking after horses and what she would be doing each time she comes. Hopefully this will be a good relationship - barn work gets done and she gets hands on experience. She starts on Tuesday.

I had a lesson in the afternoon with a young student. No cubs tonight as they were all together camping this weekend.

Saturday 1st May 2010

2010-05-23T08:20:00.001-04:00

Of course the dogs didnt let me sleep in at all. I had two lessons at 9 and 9.30am, so I had to feed the horses by 8am anyway. After the lessons with sisters aged 5 and 8 years old, I was off to be an examiner for the British Riding Clubs and the the riding club I belong to here.

We have started the first affiliated British Riding Club in the US and as a registered BHS instructor I can examine members for riding and welfare tests. Five members decided to try the riding levels 1 and 2, some did the jumping and some didnt. It is an option whether to jump or not, which I think is a great idea. Everyone passed the tests, which is great. We still have our 100% record. I will not pass or even let someone take the test if they cannot pass.

The weather was really hot and humid, so after spending hours outside in arenas I put the air conditioning on in the car and spent the rest of the afternoon on the sofa recovering. I was still feeling exhausted in the evening, so just feed the horses and went to bed early.

Friday 30th April 2010

2010-05-23T08:06:00.001-04:00

Today is the start of an exciting weekend. My husband and both kids are going camping with the cub scouts, which means I have the weekend to myself.

I still had today to get through though. I had an adult student in the morning and a child after school and a new student starting after that, bringing her own horse. I also had to make sure my kids had everything they needed for the camping trip. It all got a bit hurried at the end, but everyone got away successfully and I managed to teach my lessons. After feeding the horses and putting them out for the night I dashed into the house, had a shower and waited for a friend to come over. All of her family were going on the camping trip too, so we had arranged for a ladies night together.

We ordered dinner and ate it while watching a film and drank a nice bottle of wine. We watched The Blind Side, with Sandra Bullock. It was a good film and we had a fun filled time together. I had a busy day planned the next day, so it wasnt a late night.

Thursday 29th April 2010

2010-05-22T07:13:00.004-04:00

It was quiet day during the day today - (lots of "days" sorry!), but the late afternoon and evening certainly made up for that.

I had a make up lesson at 4pm, with a student who usually comes on a Sunday, had to make dinner and then be at my youngest sons school for an open house where he was doing a dance with his class for all to see.

My student is about 12 years old and has been riding with me on and off for about 2 years. She has some natural talent but is a little too relaxed about everything. I am not sure she fully understands the risks in riding. I tell all my students they are going to fall off at some stage during their riding career, but it doesnt happen very often here. Of course, now that I have said that everyone is going to fall off!!!

I cant remember what I made for dinner, but I am sure it was quick and probably harmful to ones self. Afterwards we drove off to the school, which is about three minutes away and struggled to find a parking spot as everyone and their aunt seemed to be there already. We walked around the classrooms and looked at art work and a vegetable garden one teacher has started and then it was time for the dance show. The 4th graders danced to the Men in Black film song. Some dont have any rhythm at all poor souls!

Wednesday 28th April 2010

2010-05-09T08:15:00.001-04:00

My morning lesson was with a good friend which means a lot of the time we are laughing at and about each other and what has happened in our lives in the preceding weeks. I do get some teaching in done in between as well, just in case you were wondering.

My afternoon lesson is still getting used to riding a horse instead of a pony. He is able to trot but the horses stride is a lot bigger than the pony he has ridden for the last year, so his balance isnt quite there yet. The riders mother is scared of horses, in fact when her son first came for lessons she wouldnt even come into the barn, so watches the lessons waiting for something to go wrong. I can hear great intakes of breath when she thinks something is wrong from the other side of the arena! The first time I took he son on a trail ride she was terrified. I knew she would be bad, so didnt tell her until we were about to leave for the ride!

In the evening I went to the hairdressers and got my hair cut to my "summer" length - a lot shorter than my "winter" length. I always feel good after being pampered, but I have to go in the evening other wise I loose that feeling when I have to deal with the horses. Oh the joys of owning horses!

Tuesday 27th April 2010

2010-05-09T07:46:00.001-04:00

This morning I had to exercise a students horse again, the same as last week. The horse is becoming more responsive and willing. I think the owner will be pleased with the progress and it will be great to teach her how to get the best out of her horse herself.

After school I had my usual lesson. We are working on cantering, but are still on the lunge line. The student and I are working towards taking the British Riding Clubs junior level 1 riding and theory test. My student should be the first in the United States to take it, as we belong to the only BRC club in the US and I am the trainer and examiner! Dont worry I wont make it easy for her. I am a hard task master and I dont let people take the test until I am sure they can pass it. I want 100% pass rate. (That has something to do with my upbringing I think!)

Monday 26th April 2010

2010-05-09T07:36:00.001-04:00

Nothing unusual happened today. I had the normal Monday lessons, an adult rider in the morning and a school kid after school. I worked at school in the afternoon and in the evening I attended the monthly scout committee meeting.

There we only quickly talked about the car show, as there is another committee meeting for that, and talked about the upcoming summer camp and the trip to Connecticut and submarine base. This time next year we will only be going to boy scouts, as our younger son will have graduated from cubs to scouts. Sunday nights will be quiet again - yippee.

Sunday 25th April 2010

2010-05-09T07:07:00.001-04:00

This was a very quiet day compared with yesterday. I was supposed to being running a mounted horseback pilates clinic, but the weather was supposed to be cold, windy and possible rain, and it was. I postponed it and have arranged a new date for the end of May, when the weather should be better.

The only thing on for today was the cubs pack meeting in the evening, where my youngest son received some belt loops and pins for various things. We try and work on some each month, so he gets something at the pack meeting. As a child I think there can be nothing worse than standing on a stage with other kids and not getting anything while they do.

Saturday 24th April 2010

2010-05-09T06:59:00.003-04:00

This was a long, long day, hot too. My husband and boy scout son went off at 7am to work at the car show and myself and younger son left at 8am with the pony in tow to join them. I take the pony to draw kids over to our table where I have the series of children books I have written about his escapades for sale. He is a great pull, but this year it was difficult to get people to buy. Some did, some said they would buy on their way back to their cars and lots didnt do anything but pet the pony.

The scouts all met Blackie last year, as I took him last year as well. (It was more successful monetarily.) But he was still a draw to them. One boy bought an embroidered hat, with the farms name on it; one woman told me I was listed on a website as an author in Berks county, (I have yet to find it); and a girl is going to start working me for with the horses as a working student. Lots of children touched a pony for the first time and there were a few returnees who remembered Blackie from last year. Maybe I should get some t-shirts made up with Blackies picture and name on it to sell as well for next year!

The weather for the day was supposed to be cloudy and just 70', with a chance of rain later in the afternoon. I think some people were praying for the rain to wait until we had packed up, which is did, but the clouds also left and the sun shone brightly. No one was prepared for that, including me and sun burn was popular. I wore a long sleeved black shirt with the farm name on it! The people in the dunk tank were the only ones feeling good about the weather, two of them were my husband and older son. They were dunked quite a few time - all for a good cause of course, the cub scouts.

At 3.30pm everyone started packing up and Blackie finally got to go home and out into the fields. He only bit two people, me and a autistic kids who wouldnt stop putting his fingers around Blackies mouth. My younger son came home with me and we both fell asleep quickly. We bought dinner as we were all to tired to do anything else.

Friday 23rd April 2010

2010-05-08T09:30:00.003-04:00

It was my mothers birthday today, so we video phoned her from my computer. I had posted her present, along with my dads a while ago, so I knew she would have it on the day.

My day was quiet until after school. I had my usual Friday afternoon student lesson. We are working on cantering on the lunge. The student is only 8 years old, but has been coming to me twice a week for lessons for 2 years now and has enough balance to progress to the faster speed and bounce of canter. I always start off on the lunge so I have control of the horses speed and direction, then let the rider control the speed and finally I let them try controlling the direction by letting them off the lunge line! That is always a little scary for me, despite all the work I put in before doing this. My arena doesnt have a fence around it, so if the student panics they could end up int the field somewhere.

In the evening we spent time getting the church car park ready for the Boy Scouts car show on Saturday. Tarps had to be put up, lines marked and tables and chairs put for the food section. It was dark by the time we finished. Of course I still had things to do to get ready for me taking my pony that I write books about to the car show too.

Thursday 22nd April 2010

2010-05-08T09:18:00.002-04:00

Again sorry for the delay, I shall try and catch up and be up to date most of the time!

Today I had to exercise a students horse for her, as a family illness stopped her from riding herself, in fact she couldnt even get to the barn to see her horse! Luckily I have my horses at home, which means even if I am ill I get to see them. That of course can be bad as well as good. If I am sick I still have to go out to the barn and feed and muck out. Anyway, it was interesting to ride the horse and see what he knows and how willing he is. I do occasionally ride my students horses in lessons, when they are having a problem with something. It helps to confirm the aids needed to get the horse to do something.

I had a make up lesson after school and then in the evening we went to the middle school for my older sons Music Recognition Awards evening. We thought it would be a quick affair, with awards being given out to the 6th grade only, but 7th and 8th grades got theirs too! Our youngest son was getting restless by the end.

Wednesday 21st April 2010

2010-05-01T08:37:00.003-04:00

It was a little windy today, so when I taught at a friends farm in the morning I didnt use my personal speaker. All the rider would have heard was the wind blowing through the microphone! This student was the other rider at the show whom I teach and as she did so well we decided she needed to move up a level. We looked at the tests and the extra/ different movements she would have to ride and worked our way through them. It went well so here's hoping for good season.

My afternoon lesson decided all he wanted to do was groom the pony he usually rides, especially picking out the feet. That seems to be the hardest thing for children to do. The bending over and holding the foot and then using a tool in the wrong hand is hard. I have to remember that because I have been picking out feet for 30 years!

In the evening the whole family helped out the scouts putting booklets and bags of goodys together for the car show on Saturday. We will be helping on Friday evening with the actual set up too.

Tuesday 20th April 2010

2010-05-01T07:58:00.001-04:00

It was a quiet day. My morning lesson had to cancelled due to a family illness, so I spent the time getting some things together for the car show on Saturday where I will be selling my books.

My lesson after school was the other student who went to the show on Sunday. Instead of riding we started working through the Junior version of the British Riding Clubs riding and welfare tests. If all goes well she will the first junior riding club member in the US to take the test - and pass of course. She is only 8 years old, the youngest age to take the test. She has some studying to do on her own and a few things to perfect while on the pony here. It will be great when completed.

Monday 19th April 2010

2010-05-01T07:33:00.001-04:00

Everyone was tired today. My morning student, who was at the show yesterday, only wanted to trail ride, although I did offer a lesson on another horse.

While she was riding I decided to school Handsome in the arena. Everything was going along nicely and I thought 'one more canter and then we will finish'. Of course that was a mistake. We started cantering and within seconds he shied in one direction, I went the other, he went back the other way and I went the opposite! I dont know how I stayed on, but was very angry as this had happened last week too. A plastic bag covering a chair in the judges box had flapped in the wind, but had been flapping in the wind the whole time we had been riding, so why he chose this time to be frightened by it was beyond me. I got off, clipped a lunge line to his bridle and got the offending plastic bag and shook it about. He was frightened to start with, but after about 15 minutes he stood still while I wiped it all over him. I put it back on the chair and hit with a whip while we stood next to it, rode past it and did everything possible to make him ignore it. Hopefully the next time in the arena he will be ok. I am fed up of almost falling off.

I worked at school in the afternoon, had another lesson after school and my son had scouts in the evening.

Sunday 18th April 2010

2010-04-28T08:51:00.001-04:00

Show day, the first of the season, and I woke up at 5.30am even though I had the alarm set for 6am. I fed the dogs and cat and then went out to the barn and feed the horses. They were a little surprised at the early hour, but like food so came in willingly.

My student arrived at 7am with one parent, the other was meeting us at the show ground later, and got on with tacking up Prissy and making sure she was clean. Once she was loaded in the trailer, I let the other horses back out into the field and drove off to the show ground at 7.30am. Everything went well at the show for my young student and my pony, but the show was already running late, so at the time I had thought we would be leaving we were standing around waiting for results. Another of my students who has her own horse was also at the show and waited with us. She was very pleased with how her horse behaved and even won one of her classes.

By the time we left for home we were half an hour late, which made me late picking up my oldest son from his sleepover. I had a couple of hours in between coming home and going back to the show in the afternoon with another student and horse. I tried to sleep as I was quite tired and then had to get the horses back in from the field. The student got the horse ready and the three of us were off again to the show ground. The show itself was running half an hour late, which would give me problems later on. The rides went well again, probably the best tests from horse and rider, but getting the results delayed us some more. As we were driving home I received a phone call from the household looking after my other child saying they were home from the cub outing they had been on and I could pick him up any time. I explained we hadnt made it home yet and I still had to get my other son the cubs, where he is a den chief. I left the student looking after the horse and equipment, unhooked the trailer and drove to the church to drop off one child and picked up the other on the way home. Once home I fed the dogs and horses, ordered pizza and went back to get the other child and pick up the pizza and finally home. By then it was about 8pm. My husband had just arrived home from his trip so it was early to bed for all of us.

What a day.

Saturday 17th April 2010

2010-04-28T08:06:00.001-04:00

Sorry for the lateness in writing this but life has been very busy and once you miss one day it is difficult to catch up.

Saturday I started early to feed the horses before the three lessons I had. My husband was away for the weekend, so I had to organise my kids as well. I had arranged for my kids to stay overnight with various people so I could go to a dressage show tomorrow with some students.

My lessons went well, with one student trotting on her own for the very first time. She was too scared to try in my large arena, because it doesnt have a fence around it, but managed in my round pen. I feel the round pen is harder as you have to constantly steer the horse on a circle and the ground isnt flat. When students are scared I make them sing songs or talk out loud, which makes them feel silly, but at least they are breathing!

One more lesson in the late afternoon and then it was time to wash horses and clean tack ready for the show. In between all this I ran one son to his sleepover home and explained when I would pick him up on Sunday. After everything was ready my other son was picked up by his sleepover parent and I managed to sit down and have dinner! The house was very quiet, just the dogs and I.

Friday 16th April 2010

2010-04-17T07:48:00.002-04:00

I had a busy morning teaching. Two lessons with two students going to the same show on Sunday, one riding one of my horses and the other riding her own. We worked on parts of the dressage tests to make sure the riders and horses understood when was expected, so heres hoping for a good show. I did get some annoying information about the show though. I have two students going , one will be riding at 8.30 in the morning and the other at 4 in the afternoon. Normally they would be a lot closer together and we would travel together. Now I have to take the morning rider, come home for 4 hours and then go back again with the other horse and rider. That has really out a spanner in the work for me. I had arranged for my children to sleep over with friends, as I knew I would have a really early start on Sunday, but now I have had to arrange for someone to look after my younger son and take him to cubs, which is earlier than usual, while I am at the show in the afternoon. The older one can come with me. I have also had to change my Sunday afternoon lesson, which is usually at 4pm!! I think I have it all arranged.

I had another lesson after school, another student going to the show. I told her to ride in her new clothing, just to make sure she was comfortable in it. We practised one of her tests and then the heavens opened and she had to trot back to the barn before her new velvet hat got soaked. I had to drag Blackie the pony in as he was still out in the field, so got a little wet myself. I then had to pick up my younger son from an after school activity - I must have looked a sight.

The boys were desperate to get on the trampoline, but it was wet and when they thought it would be dry enough they heard thunder so they only managed a short while. I managed to get on during the morning hours and lasted a whole minute more bouncing up and down!

Thursday 15th April 2010

2010-04-15T22:19:00.001-04:00

This was a rare day for me because I had nothing at all on the calendar. I decided to take advantage of this to try and do nothing, but of course that didnt happen. This was especially helped by the dogs. They kept pestering me to take them out for a walk or just let them outside. I gave up about lunchtime and took them for a walk.

I did go out late in the morning and spent some time on the trampoline thinking it would be a great way to exercise when the weather is good. Unfortunately I didnt last very long at all before the heavy breathing and a burning feeling from my legs stopped me. I was disappointed in myself because I thought I had more stamina, riding is all about legs. I am determined to fitten up using the trampoline.

As it was just the boys and I for dinner we went to Friendlys as well as some shopping and then it was back to the trampoline for the boys. They certainly have more than enough energy for it.

Wednesday 14th April 2010

2010-04-15T21:53:00.001-04:00

I took Boxer for a ride around the local roads and after the run-in with the crazy driver, I decided to wear a fluorescent yellow reflective tabbard which says "Please Pass Wide and Slow", which I have had for many years. I thought being that visible would help drivers understand what they are supposed to do around horses on the roads. Amazingly I was stopped by two men, on separate roads, asking me if I was the police and on patrol checking security! My sign says "Please" not "police" or maybe it was the bright colour that made them think that. I had to laugh about it. We had dogs run out at us and Boxer just walked on along with a swing in his step, which I am glad about. He can get stiff in the arena, so this was nice to feel.

My afternoon lesson was moving a young boy from a medium pony onto a small horse and making sure he could cope with the differences like the stride length and the extra strength needed. I have trained all of my horses to stop when the rider sits still and block any movement. So getting a 10 year old child to understand this was part of the lesson. He did quite well and the horse didnt misbehave either.

In the evening my husband, the kids and I put the trampoline up, temporarily fixed the broken part and then jumped around on it. I didnt last long, but showed them a few movements I remembered from my childhood when I had trampoline lessons.

Tuesday 13th April 2010

2010-04-15T21:19:00.001-04:00

I schooled Handsome this morning. He wasnt in the best of moods and kept shying at things he would normally go past, which is a bit annoying to say the least. I am having troubles finding boots or chaps that fit to wear when I am working in the arena. I just wear jodhpurs boots when trail riding or walking around the roads. I cant wait for the long boots I bought on ebay to arrive.

I did a quick food shop after riding because I had to be at the dentist by midday. I needed a crown on a back tooth. I dashed off there to be told they were running about half an hour late! Finally I got in to the chair, had the gum numbed before the injection to be future delayed and had to have the gum numbed again and then the injection. Of course the numbing only helps the surface, not the nerves and muscle underneath. A tear came to one eye with the pain! We waited and then had to have another injection as not all areas where numb. Once that one worked I had to have my mouth open almost beyond its capability to get to the back of my mouth. My jaw muscles were screaming at me and then the dentist kept catching my lips with his tools. I was almost in shock by the time I left and was very cold.

Luckily my afternoon lesson postponed because it was raining, but I still had to do the horses and be an examiner for the British Riding Clubs in the evening. I also got a new phone so had to get it activated before getting the exam place. Both the candidates passed the exam and are now BRC Senior Welfare Level 2 certified.

Monday 12th April 2010

2010-04-15T20:15:00.002-04:00

I forgot to mention that on Sunday evening after cubs my husband went out and bought a second hand trampoline - dont know why apart from my youngest mentioning trampolining recently!

I wasnt needed at school today so I was able to concentrate on horses with two lessons and time to ride myself. The morning lesson concentrated on parts of the dressage tests which the rider is doing at next weekends show. The afternoon lesson was a trail ride as the weather was perfect for a pleasant ride and the flies arent out yet. The student usually rides Wally so I gave her the option of riding english or western, as he is trained in both. She chose western, only the second time she has ridden western and never on a trail ride. She managed a trot and canter in one of the big fields without any mishaps and ended with a big smile on her face.

The students father helped my husband dismantle the purchased trampoline and bring it home. They werent able to put it back up here as one piece broke whilst being taken down. The seller gave some of the purchase price back because of that. Hopefully it will be fixed to some extent in the next day or so, so the boys can go on it.

Had scouts in the evening, which just meant dropping my son off and picking him up after listening to any messages/ notices. I was glad to get to bed.

Sunday 11th April 2010

2010-04-14T21:40:00.001-04:00

What a busy day this was.

I left home at 9am to go to a horse farm about half an hour away where the club I belong to was having a work day. We were to get the cross country course ready for opening day, this coming Wednesday. One of my students and her parents came to help and off we went for 4 hours clearing a wooded path. I have a flame thrower which I use for getting ride of weeds, but today the leaves were too dry and I kept having to put out little fires with my boots!

After a refreshing and much needed lunch I left to teach a student at her home, which was on my way home. After an hour there I got home just in time to get my horses in in preparation for teaching here, another hours lesson. The young student learnt how to jump a course of jumps, which involves looking ahead to the next jump. She did quite well and was pleased with herself.

I did the evening stables while my husband went off to cubs with our youngest son. Our oldest son returned from Gettysburg during my last lesson. He was very tired and dirty and had to be dragged to the shower and then fell asleep - me too!

Saturday 10th April 2010

2010-04-12T09:53:00.001-04:00

Saturday started early feeding the horses at 8am so they had time to digest before the three lessons starting at 9am. I was using the round pen with two new young students and an adult student used the arena to school Boxer. After that busy hour my day was free. I sat around for a while, walked the dogs with my youngest son and then went weeding mad - but with poison in the arena.

I have tried various ways to get rid of the weeds growing in my arena like harrowing it everyday, poisoning with a "kill all" poison and using a flame thrower. None have got rid of the weeds completely and some are harder, more time consuming and tiring than others. After about four trips I stopped for the day. I hope I had the concentration correct to kill them off properly.

During rest times I shopped on Ebay for new long riding boots. On Friday when getting ready to ride Handsome my old standby riding boots finally fell apart. The zip broke. I threw them in the bin and got another slightly newer pair out of the cupboard and would you believe it, the same thing happened! Two sets of boots in the bin in half an hour. I have had them for about 10 years so I can complain. I managed to find a pair and haggled for the right price. I have a pair of riding sneakers (trainers for the Brits reading this) which are quite old too and the leather is cracking, so while on Ebay I looked for a replacement for them too. I did the haggling thing again and got a good price. Ebay is a wonderful thing when you want something. I needed wormer for the horses and wanted a specific brand and type. The one I like is no longer made, but I found a seller with four boxes of the stuff and made a deal to buy it all. An expensive day but very satisfying because of the deals and prices.

In the evening our youngest son got to choose the meal and the movie to watch, because the other son was camping. We watched G Force, which was quite good. The animation nowadays is amazing.

Friday 9th April 2010

2010-04-12T08:43:00.001-04:00

This morning was different from most mornings because my oldest son was leaving at 8am for a scout camping trip to Gettysburg. My husband stayed late to take him to the drop off point and I stayed at home with our other son to put him on his school bus.

The rest f my morning was supposed to be free, but the fancy HD DVR box we have for the TV stopped working properly, so I had to phone the cable company and request help. The earliest they could come was Monday morning! I wasnt interested in that and asked if there was any other way of getting it fixed. I was told I could bring the box in, exchange it and start it up myself. I opted for this version. I rode Handsome around the roads and then dashed off to the cable company. The TV was working properly before lunch.

My afternoon lesson concentrated on the dressage tests the rider will be riding at the first show of the season. The student is 8 years old and has only been to two shows late last year. She is excited about going to shows this year and wants to go to everyone available. We will see if she feels the same way after the first show!

Thursday 8th April 2010

2010-04-10T17:02:00.001-04:00

I had a busy day ahead of me and had to make a list to make sure I didnt forget anything! I am getting old and can walk from room to another and forget why I went into that room.

I put the kids on their buses, fed the horses and let them out and then started on my journey. I stopped at Rite Aid first to drop of a prescription, then on to Rednars petrol station, which is about 7 miles away to fill up on cheap petrol. On the way there I saw the aftermath of an accident on the main road around here. It looked like a deer had hit the windscreen of a car and then caused another accident behind it. The road was closed in the other direction to where I was traveling, but traffic was still slowing down. I found out later on that a pedestrian had been killed not a deer.

My next stopping point was at a students barn. She had the horse dentist coming and didnt know how the horse would react. I offered to help out as I know the dentist and knew what he would do in any situation. I only had to stay for a short while because the horse behaved perfectly. Off on the road again this time to a tack shop to put something in to sell and get some wormer and stomach calmer for Boxer. After that I traveled about 5 miles to TSC, Tractor Supply Company, to get weed poison and sprayer. (I need to kill off the weeds and grass in my arena and have tried burning it before, but thought I would go back to poison. We will see how well it does.) I also collected 5 free bags of pelleted bedding which saved me $30. This was the last stop and I was glad to get home. Th dogs were too, although the puppy had eaten a baseball cap during my time out.

In the evening I had the last batch of scouts here to practise riding before their trip. It will be interesting to find out how they did and if coming here did any good. As it was our oldest sons last night before the trip he got to choose dinner. He decided he wanted breakfast for dinner, so off to the local diner for dinner we went. The place was almost empty at 7pm and we found out later why. Our food took ages to come and then was either burnt or dry. When we went to pay and complain the owner was at the cash desk. He was apologetic and explained that his usual cook was on holiday and had another week off! He took a percentage off our price. He has a strong accent so I asked him where he came from. At first he said the USA and then when pushed said Syria. I told him my parents live in Cyprus which made him excited and exclaimed that his family holiday there. Small world. It was still 79' on our journey home.

Wednesday 7th April 2010

2010-04-10T08:35:00.001-04:00

Because of the unusual heat we have been having I have had to change my lessons a little. Instead of doing walk work in the arena I have been sending the riders out around the field catching any wind and warming up the muscles with the undulating land, and then cooling down the same way. I actually moved my 4pm lesson to 6.30pm to get out of the heat. Luckily it was cloudy by then too. I took the child on a trail ride and he thought it was the best lesson ever! All we did was walk! I am moving him onto a taller horse, so trail riding is a more relaxed way of getting to know it.

I spoke to the animal communicator again about two other horses I have. One, Boxer, weaves and is very hard to keep weight on as he worries about everything. The other is Prissy the Mustang. I have owned her for about 7 years, but she is still anxious about getting tacked up, groomed, putting blankets on etc. I asked the communicator to find out why in both cases. Boxer has a really bad stomach ache all the time and Prissy has a very strong personality and doesnt want to be controlled - sounds like a woman. To summarize she put a relaxation ring around both of them and told Boxer I will find something to sort out the pain.

When I brought them in for the evening lesson Boxer just stood in his stall instead of fussing and weaving. In fact since then he has been relaxed in his stall. We will see if he is more relaxed when ridden.

Tuesday 6th April 2010

2010-04-07T14:15:00.001-04:00

I started the morning off by schooling my horse Handsome. He hasnt been very enthusiastic recently and the hot weather we have been having isnt helping. I decided to ride him on a long rein in walk, trot and canter. This was a mistake because while cantering Handsome decided there was something scary right in front of us and stop and stepped sideways all in one go! I felt myself falling, tried to stay on, but got to that stage when I thought I couldnt stay on so let it happen, I would land on my feet anyway, when I discovered I was still on the horse and managed to push myself back into the saddle. What a relief because there is nothing worse than falling off. I shortened my reins after that and continued on for another half an hour or so. Hopefully I would have any sore muscles tomorrow.

After feeding and putting the horses out I drove off to teach a adult student. We have been working together since December and today it was time to do some jumping. The horse is young and the owner hadnt jumped it herself, although had seen it jump when she bought it. The horse wasnt bothered at all and jumped anything I put up for it, but the rider, who had jumped before, went down hill. (She wont mind me saying this because we had a good laugh about it afterwards.) She was working too hard and not allowing the horse to lead her over the jumps.

My afternoon was completely different with me doing a clothes wash and ironing! I did have a lesson after school though, but all we could do was go for a trail ride and walk because the temperature was in the high 80's. The horses were sweating even at a walk. Tomorrow is supposed to be hotter and then will break on Thursday and Friday. Cant wait for that.

Monday 5th April 2010

2010-04-07T09:29:00.001-04:00

My kids had school even though it was easter Monday and my usual morning lesson wasnt coming, so I schooled the mustang pony Prissy. She is usually ridden by young children so she becomes lazy. I need to get on now and again to remind her she is clever and responsive when asked properly. I was surprised at how well she listened to me, almost as though she was glad to do something challenging - who knows. I felt good after riding her.

I spent the rest of the morning visiting places looking for the best cell phone plan. Things are complicated by needing a phone that will works overseas and getting a family plan. We are thinking of giving a phone to our oldest son.

I worked at school again today, but the teacher ran out of things for me to do and I left early. I challenged my afternoon lesson rider by letting her ride around the fields on her own. She is thinking about being my working student during the summer and needs to be able to exercise horses on her own, so this was preparation for this. She handled it without any problems.

The scout meeting was all about the Gettysburg trip, which starts this Friday. The boys are getting excited - mainly because they will miss a day of school!

Easter 2010

2010-04-05T15:21:00.001-04:00

The dogs let me sleep in until 7am, but the puppy was playing with the hall carpet and their beds, so I had to get up to save them.

We speak three times a week via video phone on my computer with my parents, but for some reason Live Messenger wasnt working today. We will try again on Tuesday, so after breakfast I schooled Boxer, a lesson horse. Now and again I ride my lesson horses to sort out any problems and remind them of the correct aids. This horse has a hard mouth, which isnt fun to ride. I am trying to get him to accept the bit willingly, but he is a tough nut. I may call the animal communicator about him to see if it helps, or find out what ails him!

In the afternoon we visited a friends for easter dinner and a egg hunt for the kids, but I had to leave early to feed all the animals. It was pleasant while I was there though. It was a quiet day as you can see.

Saturday 3rd April 2010

2010-04-04T12:22:00.001-04:00

The day started early, getting the horses in and fed by 8 am, ready for the two new young students at 9 am. I started them off riding the pony Blackie, but the older child will ride Prissy next week. Although she isnt too heavy for Blackie it is harder to ride a horse/ pony when there isnt a lot of body underneath you. She will really notice the difference in height, as Prissy is 3 hands higher than Blackie.

Immediately after the lessons the boy scouts arrived for their riding session. They leave for Gettysburg on Friday and will be riding on horseback around the battlefields. People keep asking me if I am going on the ride. Now why would I do that when I can ride everyday!! I dont camp anyway. The troop had asked me if the boys could visit and ride the horses, as some had done neither before. This weekend five were supposed to come, but only three turned up. Another emailed me in the afternoon wanting to come an hour and a half later. Not enough notice for me.

When they left my husband spent the rest of the morning dragging the accumulated debris from the winter where I leave hay for the horses. They leave their own debris as well and it adds up over the winter months. He hasnt done this for about three years, so I have had to put long rubber mats as a walkway to the arena to stay out of the "mud". It looks great now, but will build up again over the year.

We went see the movie "How to train your Dragon" which is an animated film on Saturday evening. We didnt see it in 3D as that costs twice as much as the normal movie. Obviously everyone else went to see the 3D version as the theatre was almost empty. It was good, although the Vikings had a Scottish accent and the children had amercian ones! A little confusing, maybe they speak Scottish once they become vikings?!

Friday 2nd April 2010

2010-04-04T09:33:00.001-04:00

My kids had a day off school today - their only day for easter. The rest of the holiday had been used as make up days lost due to the snow we had earlier this year. They arent too pleased about that. The lovely weather will hopefully make up for it.

My morning lesson was a drive-in and she was late too. Is it me or them?! She had had trouble loading her horse, the horse wasnt the problem but the helper who was supposed to just close the bum strap. He decided to do all sorts of other things which scared the horse and so made her late for her lesson. We ended the lesson early to give us plenty of loading time, in case the horse decided he didnt want to go in the trailer. Luckily he went straight in and I did as I was told and just closed the strap. The rider is a good friend of mine and a vet as well, so before she rode she vaccinated my horses. We trade lessons for vet care sometimes.

The other lesson of the day was an 8 year old girl who has been coming for lessons twice a week for about two years. Todays lesson involved me lunging her to learn canter and then letting her "play" in the arena herself. I try to change lessons around so they dont become boring and play games or go for trail rides as well.

I spent some of the lovely evening in the barn really clearing out of the stalls and making them look good for the visitors tomorrow. I have two new students starting and about five boy scouts coming to try riding.

Thursday April 1st 2010

2010-04-04T07:59:00.003-04:00

Maybe it was because it was April Fools Day that my student arrived late, or early as she thought!

This was her second lesson with one of her horses and she has to travel about an hour to get here. She had brought along another horse to school in an arena before showing it to a prospective adopter. I was surprised how, after the initial screaming from the horse left in the trailer, it was quiet while we worked with the other. Most horses would have continued complaining the while time.

I had managed to school my horse first thing in the morning. I rode him in a bitless bridle, a western Stop & Turn, which I use every now and again to leave the horses mouth alone. We got some nice work done. After the late lesson I changed into t-shirt and shorts, the temperature was in the high 70's, and finally did some gardening. Weeds have grown madly with the kind of weather we have had this year, warm and rainy. I dashed to the middle school to drop off a permission form and complain about a letter I had received, which had been printed and copied many times since 1999! They have promised to improve it. A friend dropped by later on to pick up videos I have copied onto DVD's, which gave me an excuse to stop gardening.

In the evening I went off to the monthly board meeting for the riding club I belong to. I am the membership secretary and have to give a report on new and renewing members. I am also the British Riding Club representative/ trainer/ instructor/ examiner/ organiser etc. I arrange monthly meetings, which could be educational, clinics and testings, so have to let the board know what is coming up. We are the only club in the US affiliated to the BRC.

Wednesday 31st March 2010

2010-04-03T07:55:00.001-04:00

I hadnt been feeling well all of this week and this morning was not a good one to feel this way. Luckily the rain had stopped, but every where was damp and chilly. I was having the chills sometimes and hot at other times. My farrier was coming this morning and I had a lesson as well.

The lesson arrived before the farrier and being an adult, I sent her off to the arena to ride on her own. Finally the farrier arrived and set to work on one of the horses. He had two and a half horses to do. He also looked at the pony Blackie, who had been having problems with his front feet with a touch of founder. There isnt much more I can do for him until the medication hits in.

By the afternoon the sun was shining and I taught a young boy. He got to ride on the lunge without reins. At the end of the lesson we were being watched by a mother and two daughters, who were coming to meet the horses. We also discussed lessons and they will be starting on Saturday.

In the late afternoon the cubs and scouts helped clear up any rubbish, leaves and stuff around the church we use for meetings. We had so many helpers we finished in record time.

Tuesday 30th March 2010

2010-04-03T07:26:00.001-04:00

The rain really came down today. Luckily my morning lesson was in an indoor arena so I stayed dry, but the temperature dropped while I was teaching. We spent some of the time watching the video I took of the the rider last week. I made some points and then told her to go home and watch it three or four times watching something different each time, ie, the horse first, the riders legs, the riders hands and body position etc.

By the time I got home the horses were standing in my outdoor arena all facing the same way with their heads and tails down. I took pity and called them in - they came running! They do have two shelters to use, but they dont of course. They make me look like a bad owner, not caring for my animals.

My afternoon lesson cancelled due to the sheets of rain. I offered a theory session instead, but a homework project pulled more favour.

I told you last week about an argument I had with a driver and had been to the township building to report it. I left a message for the chief of police to contact me and on Tuesday afternoon he phoned me. He had an attitude before we even started to discuss what had happened and that I would like to get the speed limit lowered. He was rude, kept interrupting me and didnt want to hear my concerns, not only for horse riders, but walkers, children and cyclists. I was flabbergasted at his lack of concern for safety. My kids could hear my raised voice from the other end of the house! He thinks nothing will come of this, but he thinks wrong.

Rain again

2010-04-02T07:53:00.000-04:00

The promised rain came this morning. I had dashed off to do a food shop just after my kids got on their buses and got back in time to feed the horses, to give them time before being ridden. My usual lesson cancelled, even though it was only drizzling, so I decided to ride the lesson horse instead. I worked in the house and as I was heading out the heavens opened and put an end to my riding plans.

In the afternoon I worked at school, where I listened to the children reading again. This time I managed to listen to the whole class, this was 20 odd kids. I learnt all about the Liberty Bell. I had joked the previous week with the teacher that I would get through the whole class in one session before the end of the year.

I managed to get my afternoon lesson in in between rain showers. It was drizzling most of the time though. I decided to put the student on a different horse than the one she was used to riding and was expecting great cries of fear, but she was excited instead. I am always asking my students questions about how they feel, which direction felt better or worse, were they any problems, etc. This student has taken this task on very well and now I dont have to ask, she tells me straight away.

Scouts was cancelled tonight because of holy week. The cubs and scouts meet in the local church hall and the new minister has decided that the hall will be closed this week. He did want us to clean the grounds on Tuesday night though!

Sunday

2010-03-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

Of course I didnt get to lie in this morning - those damn dogs again!

I was going out today with a student and mother to get new clothes for the upcoming show season, but had to ride before that. I decided to do some jumping with my horse, to keep him interested in being ridden. I had two small jumps in the arena already from a lesson on Saturday, so I did those first and then moved out onto the cross country course. I followed a sort of course which involved jumping into the arena, rode across it, jumped out of it, over two jumps in the same field and over 5 jumps in another field. Most of my jumps question the rider and their ability to direct the horse, but they are not very high, so one less thing to worry about.

Later in the morning I went off with my student and got her all kitted up. Now she has to wear and break the new boots, gloves and hat in. I got back from that just in time for another scout ride. That went well, thankfully my horses are behaving themselves! While I was out my husband and oldest son managed to get an old car out of the horses field. This was quite momentous, as it had been sitting there for about 3 years without moving or even being started!

In the evening we watched the film Avatar. It was quite good, but the theme was the usual white man bad, natives good. A friend gave me a a bunch of horse related videos last week and I have been working my way through those. Some are really old, 10 years - my how things have changed.

Saturday

2010-03-28T10:51:00.000-04:00

The boy scout group my oldest son belongs to is going to Gettysburg battlefield next month and are going to ride around it on horseback. I was asked if I could help with my horses as some of the scouts and parents had never seen a horse up close or ridden.

I gave them a group of times they could come over and see and ride the horses and Saturday morning was one of them. Four scouts came to ride and successfully sat on and steered my Quarterhorse Wally around. He is western trained and was the perfect horse for them to ride, as they will be riding western at Gettysburg. He is also very good with beginners, but after four kids he was glad to get back in the barn.

My youngest sons sleepover was still here during all of this and after the riding session was over I sent him, my sons and another boy, who's father was here to take his hunting hides down, out into the fields and woods and to help the man. They took the older dog along with them too. She doesnt get to go out without the monster puppy too often. About an hour later I joined them with the puppy and we all played in the stream that runs through our property.

By 1pm we needed to head in and have lunch and get for the local church's turkey supper, where the scouts were helping to serve. I dropped off my oldest to help at the alloted time and in the same journey the sleepover child. Late on our family went to eat at the supper and ended up being serves by our son and some friends.

It was a long tiring day and most of us went to bed early.

Friday

2010-03-27T07:51:00.000-04:00

My morning lesson was earlier than usual, so I was out feeding early. I needed to get petrol in my car, so after feeding I dashed off to get that and decided to get some feed while I was in the area. I got back in time to send my lesson off down the infamous lane to work on her own. She wasnt in the mood for a formal lesson, too much on her mind, so worked on the things we do in the arena.

I spent the time keeping warm in the house looking through a bunch of horse videos someone had given me. Some I will use for video nights, others I will use for my students and other will be discarded. After my lesson left I dashed off to the local mall to get some clothes for my oldest son and some birthday presents.

Back home a friend dropped by with more videos and a couple of half barrels. I will probably use them as part of a jump or storage in the barn. I have trouble throwing things out that can be used for something else. I keep all my feed and bedding bags as they are made of plastic and could be used for something! My husband thinks I am a little wacky with my recycling.

My youngest son had a friend over for a sleep over, so the evening was loud and busy. They did go to sleep quite early without any complaints - thankfully.

Thursday

2010-03-26T22:45:00.000-04:00

Another day on the run. I schooled Handsome in the arena working on collection and then took the puppy for a ride in the car to a pet shop. Finally we found a toy to replace his favourite one, not quite the same but does the same job. He loved meeting the people and even sniffed another dog without being afraid.

I managed to eat some toast before heading off to the dentist and discovering I need a crown on a back tooth. My dentist blames the need on my crunching of hard sweets!! On my way home from that I visited my local township building to get the speed limit dropped on the lane to discover I have to request it in writing to the township supervisors, and then I tried to speak to the chief of police about my confrontation. He will be away until Tuesday.

I managed to sit down for half an hour and then picked up my youngest son from school to go to the orthodontist to get his plate removed. We had been told it would take about an hour to do this, but after half an hour I was called back to get instructions, and were home before the rush hour. I had a meeting to go to in the evening, but hadnt been sure if I would be able to go because of the dental visit. I got to go in the end.

Wednesday 24th

2010-03-26T22:11:00.000-04:00

This was my puppy's 8 month birthday. He doesnt look like a puppy to me as he is so big, but others see the puppiness.

The weather was easy to teach in today. In fact it wasnt nice to be out in either. It was very windy so I didnt bother to use my personal speaker to teach, I just had to wait until my student was passing me to tell them what to do! I videoed her too. I find photos and videos very useful when teaching. People can understand what you are talking about if they can see it.

In the afternoon I used the walking the dogs time to carry a 5 gallon can of petrol to my tractor, which had run out of fuel 3/4 of the length of the field away from the barn! 5 gallons weighs quite a lot, which meant I had to stop a few times to catch my breathe before I got to the tractor. The dogs got a good walk though. I used the tractor to get to the arena for my afternoon lesson!

Tuesday

2010-03-26T21:48:00.000-04:00

Started early again today. I rode Handsome, my competition horse, down the next door lane, just a walk on a loose rein, although I did make him leg yield.

After that I traveled to teach a student. I gave her advice whilst she tried to get her horse over a wooden bridge. Of course the horse went over it at the second try and every other time they tried after that. We went back to the arena where I videoed them walking, trotting and cantering. I threatened to put the tape on You Tube, jokingly of course.

My after school lesson was a ride down the neighbouring lane again. It started ok but went down hill when I had a confrontation with a driver who wouldnt slow down to pass us. I ride defensively out on the roads and generally dont have any problems with traffic. My horses are used to traffic but they have some dislikes. The lane we were riding down is about 1 1/2 lanes wide, not enough for two cars to pass without slowing down considerably, and the surface is gravel. I saw the car coming towards us and told my student to move over and slow down so I could get in front in single file, when I noticed the car wasnt slowing down. I got angry and pulled my horse back into the middle of the road,waved my arm and shouted at the driver to slow down or she would cause an accident. She shouted back, through her open door! that I should ride somewhere else. After some more words in anger we managed to get past and continued on our ride. It did put a damper on the rest of the ride. But it does make me angry when people dont show respect for other things.

Monday

2010-03-23T20:18:00.000-04:00

It was the usual rush, rush day. After putting the boys on their buses I was out to the barn and mucking out. After feeding the horses I had time to sit down and watch the video from yesterdays clinic. We had been practising leg yield and lengthened trot. I discovered that if I left his head alone completely he did as he was told, but I found that hard to do!

My first lesson of the day concentrated on preparing for the upcoming show season with my student. She is going to ride a new test, so we worked on some of the new and interesting movements. My second lesson was a new student who brought her horse with her. She was a little late as the route she had downloaded took her through narrow windy roads. Luckily she could take a different route home which was much less harrowing. The horse is lovely but a novice. It will be interesting to watch it progress. Of course the rider and I talked for quite a while after the lesson about horses and related subjects, so by the time I got back into the house it was 1pm. The dogs were crossing their legs and hungry for lunch. I was too!

After dealing with the dogs and feeding myself it was off to help at school. I had to listening to the children individually reading the same passage I heard it about 18 times! I had to mark up when they made a mistake and note when a minute was up. The reading ability range is wide.

Luckily my afternoon lesson had cancelled for this week as it was pouring with rain and had been accompanied by thunder and lightening. Of course the temperature had dropped too. We were spoilt with the weather we had last week and weekend.

Plans re-arranged

2010-03-22T08:09:00.000-04:00

The plans for Sunday were 1. Relax all morning, 2. Bring the horses in at 2pm and get them ready for the clinic, 3. Ride at the clinic.

Of course it didnt happen that way. The sleep over pair woke up before 7am and woke the dogs up too, which meant I had to get up and let them out and feed them. Shortly after 7 the boys went out to fish and I sat down to write my blog. They didnt stay outside for long as it was quite cold.

My husband wanted to empty the muck spreader, but couldnt use the usually gates because they had been blown partly over in the last storm. I had tied up and used poles to do a temporary fix until we could properly fix them. So the morning and part of the afternoon was used working on the gates. One post will have to be replaced, but that will be another weekend job.

In the midst of this I got the horses in and cleaned up my horse, hooked up the trailer and filled the haynets. The sleepover child was allowed to stay longer, until 2.30pm, and one of the scout campers brought my other son home from the trip and left his son here too. I left my poor husband with all of them as I took two horses and a student and her parents to the clinic.

If you remember I had talked to an animal communicator about my competition horse who goes crazy when I take another horse with him and they walk a short distance away from him. Well, it was as though I had a different horse with me today. He didnt worry when loaded into the trailer first, which he used to do and at the clinic he didnt stress at all. In fact he was almost asleep most of the time and it was hard work to get him to work when it was our turn to ride. But I was happy though because he was calm the whole time, and neighed at the other horse when it neighed, almost as if he was saying everything was ok. I came home tired but happy. I may be calling the animal communicator about the other horses so life is quiet.